A new service offering complementary therapies for people who have survived cancer is set be launched in East Yorkshire.
Staffed entirely by volunteers, qualified therapists will donate their time and expertise to enhance the well-being of people who are undergoing or have been through cancer treatment.
The service will offer reflexology, pedicures, manicures, facials and gentle massage, and has been initiated by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust‘s Survivorship Team.
Sarah Guest, Clinical Nurse Specialist based at the Queen’s Centre for Oncology & Haematology says:
“Being diagnosed with cancer at any age can bring on many different emotions. It’s natural for people to be worried, but for some patients, it can lead to fear, anxiety, stress, or even depression.
“Complementary therapies are a fantastic way of helping to people to relax and alleviating these types of symptom, so we began to look into the possibility of running a complementary therapy service for our patients.”
The complementary therapy service will run every Monday and Tuesday at the Queen’s Centre in Cottingham, and each treatment typically last for an hour. Therapists will always ensure each treatment is safe to be combined with a patient’s medication or course of cancer treatment before they begin.
“The therapists providing the treatments for us are doing so in their own time, and we are so grateful for this,” Sarah continues.
“Being able to offer our patients a way of relaxing and taking time out for themselves will really help to enhance the range of services our team already offers, and will be a welcome distraction at what can be a very difficult time”.
Patients are being invited to make bookings now, prior to the service launching at the start of September. Patients will not be charged for treatments, but will be asked for a contribution which will then be invested back into the Survivorship Team and its work to support people living with and beyond cancer.
For more information, contact the Survivorship Team on (01482) 461091.